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Global News
02-08-2025
- Sport
- Global News
Sarah Nurse ready to make waves with new PWHL team in Vancouver
When Sarah Nurse first stepped onto the Aquabus dock at Vancouver's Granville Island, she was a little apprehensive. The Hamilton hockey player was unaccustomed to being just a few feet away from ocean waters, with no rails or safety barriers in sight. But it didn't take long for the best-known player on the roster of Vancouver's new Professional Women's Hockey League team to find her footing. Within half an hour, Canada's most valuable player in the 2022 Olympic women's hockey tournament in Beijing had her hands on the vessel's wheel — steering the rainbow-hued commuter ferry through the busy waters of False Creek during a Friday sightseeing tour ahead of a holiday weekend. Nurse has never been shy about navigating uncharted waters. In 2023, she became the first female player ever to grace the cover of EA Sports' NHL video game. Story continues below advertisement Then, as one of five members of the executive board of the Professional Women's Hockey Players' Association, she helped draft the PWHL's first collective bargaining agreement and bring the league to life. 4:57 PWHL draft and women's sports Now, after just two years, the PWHL has expanded to eight teams and stretched its footprint west with new franchises in Vancouver and Seattle. After she was left unprotected by the Toronto Sceptres in June's expansion draft, Nurse made the decision to become a part of another new thing and signed a one-year contract as a free agent. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'The opportunity for me to be able to help start an expansion franchise in a market that really has never had women's hockey before was really cool for me,' Nurse said. 'I haven't spent a lot of time in the city, but I've always admired it from afar. I don't know why I said this, but I was like, 'If I don't live in Toronto, I think Vancouver would be the place that I lived in.' So, unintentionally manifested this, I guess.' Story continues below advertisement The roster-building process for the PWHL's expansion squads was designed to preserve the league's strong parity. When the dust settled, Vancouver's roster included Nurse's Olympic teammates Emerance Maschmeyer and Claire Thompson, former Toronto teammates Izzy Daniel and North Vancouver's Hannah Miller, and Finnish hockey legend Michelle Karvinen. Brian Idalski, whose long history in the women's game includes coaching Miller, Karvinen and Vancouver forward Michela Cava in the Russian women's league, will be behind the bench. After analyzing the roster assembled by general manager Cara Gardner Morey, Nurse was optimistic about her new team's prospects. 'I'm excited to see how the pieces are going to fall together,' she said. 'We want to be a competitor. How amazing would it be to bring home a Walter Cup in Year 1? I think that's definitely the goal whenever you start a hockey season.' 0:55 PWHL announce Vancouver expansion team for 2025-2026 season Nurse was joined on her ferry excursion by Vancouver teammates Kristen Campbell and Jenn Gardiner. Story continues below advertisement Campbell was named the PWHL's goalie of the year with Toronto in 2024 and was acquired by Vancouver in a draft-day trade. Gardiner of nearby Cloverdale, B.C., signed a one-year, free-agent contract after she was a finalist for rookie of the year with the Montreal Victoire. Despite her success in Montreal, Gardiner couldn't resist returning to her hometown after witnessing the market's enthusiasm for PWHL hockey. She played in front of 19,038 raucous fans at a sold-out Rogers Arena when the Victoire beat the Sceptres 4-2 in January's Takeover Tour game. 'I couldn't have chosen a better city for my first year in that in the league last year,' Gardiner said. 'It was really nice that my teammates were very supportive of me going back home to play. They know how much the game on January eighth meant to me, and growing the game out in B.C.' PWHL Vancouver hits the ice this fall at the Pacific Coliseum on the PNE grounds. The arena, which opened in 1968, hasn't been home to a hockey team since the Western Hockey League's Vancouver Giants moved to Langley in 2016. Extensive renovations are currently underway at both the Coliseum and next door at the Agrodome, which will serve as the team's practice facility. When complete, Vancouver will be the only PWHL team to hold primary-tenant status at its home arena, which offers business and marketing advantages. Story continues below advertisement The schedule for the PWHL's third year has not yet been released, but season-ticket packages for Vancouver were on sale. Each team played 30 games starting Nov. 30 last season.
Toronto Sun
02-08-2025
- Sport
- Toronto Sun
Sarah Nurse ready to make waves with new PWHL team in Vancouver
Published Aug 02, 2025 • 3 minute read PWHL Vancouver players Sarah Nurse, from front left to back, Kristen Campbell and Jenn Gardiner tour False Creek on an Aquabus water taxi, in Vancouver, B.C., Friday, Aug. 1, 2025. Photo by Darryl Dyck / THE CANADIAN PRESS VANCOUVER — When Sarah Nurse first stepped onto the Aquabus dock at Vancouver's Granville Island, she was a little apprehensive. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The Hamilton hockey player was unaccustomed to being just a few feet away from ocean waters, with no rails or safety barriers in sight. But it didn't take long for the best-known player on the roster of Vancouver's new Professional Women's Hockey League team to find her footing. Within half an hour, Canada's most valuable player in the 2022 Olympic women's hockey tournament in Beijing had her hands on the vessel's wheel — steering the rainbow-hued commuter ferry through the busy waters of False Creek during a Friday sightseeing tour ahead of a holiday weekend. Nurse has never been shy about navigating uncharted waters. In 2023, she became the first female player ever to grace the cover of EA Sports' NHL video game. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Then, as one of five members of the executive board of the Professional Women's Hockey Players' Association, she helped draft the PWHL's first collective bargaining agreement and bring the league to life. Now, after just two years, the PWHL has expanded to eight teams and stretched its footprint west with new franchises in Vancouver and Seattle. After she was left unprotected by the Toronto Sceptres in June's expansion draft, Nurse made the decision to become a part of another new thing and signed a one-year contract as a free agent. 'The opportunity for me to be able to help start an expansion franchise in a market that really has never had women's hockey before was really cool for me,' Nurse said. 'I haven't spent a lot of time in the city, but I've always admired it from afar. I don't know why I said this, but I was like, 'If I don't live in Toronto, I think Vancouver would be the place that I lived in.' So, unintentionally manifested this, I guess.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The roster-building process for the PWHL's expansion squads was designed to preserve the league's strong parity. When the dust settled, Vancouver's roster included Nurse's Olympic teammates Emerance Maschmeyer and Claire Thompson, former Toronto teammates Izzy Daniel and North Vancouver's Hannah Miller, and Finnish hockey legend Michelle Karvinen. Brian Idalski, whose long history in the women's game includes coaching Miller, Karvinen and Vancouver forward Michela Cava in the Russian women's league, will be behind the bench. After analyzing the roster assembled by general manager Cara Gardner Morey, Nurse was optimistic about her new team's prospects. 'I'm excited to see how the pieces are going to fall together,' she said. 'We want to be a competitor. How amazing would it be to bring home a Walter Cup in Year 1? I think that's definitely the goal whenever you start a hockey season.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Nurse was joined on her ferry excursion by Vancouver teammates Kristen Campbell and Jenn Gardiner. Campbell was named the PWHL's goalie of the year with Toronto in 2024 and was acquired by Vancouver in a draft-day trade. Gardiner of nearby Cloverdale, B.C., signed a one-year, free-agent contract after she was a finalist for rookie of the year with the Montreal Victoire. Despite her success in Montreal, Gardiner couldn't resist returning to her hometown after witnessing the market's enthusiasm for PWHL hockey. She played in front of 19,038 raucous fans at a sold-out Rogers Arena when the Victoire beat the Sceptres 4-2 in January's Takeover Tour game. 'I couldn't have chosen a better city for my first year in that in the league last year,' Gardiner said. 'It was really nice that my teammates were very supportive of me going back home to play. They know how much the game on January eighth meant to me, and growing the game out in B.C.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. PWHL Vancouver hits the ice this fall at the Pacific Coliseum on the PNE grounds. The arena, which opened in 1968, hasn't been home to a hockey team since the Western Hockey League's Vancouver Giants moved to Langley in 2016. Extensive renovations are currently underway at both the Coliseum and next door at the Agrodome, which will serve as the team's practice facility. When complete, Vancouver will be the only PWHL team to hold primary-tenant status at its home arena, which offers business and marketing advantages. The schedule for the PWHL's third year has not yet been released, but season-ticket packages for Vancouver were on sale. Each team played 30 games starting Nov. 30 last season. Toronto Blue Jays Homes Columnists Toronto & GTA Columnists
